The Palindrome Cult: A gripping, page-turning, crime suspense thriller, its fast pace takes you from London to New York, via Dubai and the Virgin Islands. (Hedge & Cole Book 1)

by Kevin Bradley

  Chapter Fifty Five

  Several hours later, they were in a different taxi, pulling up outside a tall, residential tower block in Manhattan.

  ‘This is the address you gave me,’ said the driver.

  Cole paid the fare, and they walked into the lobby of the apartment block. They headed for the elevator, and Cole selected the twelfth floor. It only took a few seconds before the doors slid open.

  ‘We’re looking for room 1215,’ said Cole.

  They headed down the brightly lit corridor and quickly found the room.

  Cole knocked on the door sharply. ‘Maintenance,’ he said. He tried to speak with an American accent, and it didn’t sound too bad. ‘We need to check your heating please.’

  The door opened, and a dark skinned man stood in front of them wearing just a towel around his waist. He looked Arabic, and he had a well-groomed beard. His expression was one of annoyance, like he had been disturbed in the middle of something important.

  ‘The heating is fine. So why don’t you piss off,’ he said abruptly.

  Cole shoved the door open, and the man in front of him was momentarily pushed off balance. He quickly recovered, but it was too late as Cole had hit him square on the chin with his bunched right hand. It was like a hammer blow and the man went straight down onto the carpeted floor.

  There was a naked girl lying on the bed. She was petite, and looked a pale white colour, almost like she had never been outdoors. She also seemed very young. As soon as Cole had landed his punch she started screaming.

  ‘Shut up and get dressed. You’ve got thirty seconds to get out of here,’ Cole shouted at her.

  She jumped off the bed and gathered her clothes up. She didn’t bother to put any of them on, but just ran out of the door. Cole slammed it shut behind her.

  The dark skinned man had managed to stand back up and Cole now faced him.

  ‘So Tariq, we meet at last,’ said Cole.

  The man didn’t deny the name, so Cole assumed he had found the right person.

  ‘What do you want from me?’ Tariq was rubbing his chin and starting to look a little nervous.

  Cole pulled a small piece of card from out of his pocket. On it was a picture of Angel, dressed in military fatigues. He was laughing and pointing at something in the distance. He looked younger than Hedge had remembered him, so it was clearly an old photo.

  ‘This is a picture of a friend of mine called Angel. It was taken in happier times. What happened to him? I need you to tell me.’

  ‘I have no idea. I have never seen this man before,’ said Tariq.

  Cole knew he was lying, but he needed more before he was sure.

  ‘I believe he died from a shark attack, judging by the bite marks on his arm. I received a message from someone saying that he had been fishing. Not a very funny joke really. You do own a boat, don’t you Tariq?’

  ‘I don’t know what you are talking about. I do have a boat, but I haven’t been on it for a long time, and I haven’t been to Dubai in over a year.’

  ‘Who said anything about Dubai?’ said Cole.

  Tariq looked confused. He suddenly realised that he had given himself away. A look of terror crossed his face. He turned as if to get away, but Cole grabbed him by the neck and pushed him to the floor.

  There was a table next to where Cole was standing. Laying on it was a large, lined writing pad along with a silver ballpoint pen. At the far end of the table was a pile of opened mail and next to this was an old fashioned letter opener with a blue marble handle. Cole leaned over and picked this up. He held it up and looked at its blade. It wasn’t sharp – it didn’t need to be as it was only used for opening envelopes, but it was long. The metal blade was approximately seven inches in length.

  Tariq was still on the floor. He was kneeling and trying to get back to his feet. He couldn’t because Cole had placed his foot on the back of one of Tariq’s legs, and was bearing down on it with all his weight. Cole flicked the end of the letter opener at the towel that was covering Tariq’s backside. This caused his rear end to be fully exposed and it was then that Cole swung his arm and thrust the letter opener directly at Tariq’s anus. The seven inches of steel disappeared completely into the small hole, before Cole let go of the implement.

  Hedge couldn’t believe what he had just seen. It all seemed quite surreal. Here was a dark skinned, Arabic looking man kneeling on the floor in front of him, with the blue handle of the letter opener sticking straight out of the hole in his backside.

  Tariq immediately screamed in agony. The sound was like an animal being caught in a trap. It was a high pitched noise and it echoed around the room. He lurched forward and lay on his stomach moaning with the pain emanating from his backside. He tried to reach around to the source of the pain, and his hands fumbled with the handle of the letter opener. He attempted to pull the metal out of his backside, but the angle was wrong and all he achieved was to make the pain much worse. Bright red blood was seeping from the wound. Tariq was now banging his hands repeatedly on the floor in an attempt to alleviate the pain. His screams had turned into a gentle moan and he curled himself up on the floor in an attempt to find a position that made the agony more bearable.

  ‘Help me,’ he said. ‘I have money, I can pay you. It wasn’t me who killed your friend. Help me, please.’

  Cole knelt down next to the pathetic figure of Tariq. ‘I will help you. I will make the pain go away. I don’t want your money, but I do need you to tell me what happened to Angel.’

  ‘It wasn’t me. I tried to stop them. He died quickly though. I promise you,’ said Tariq.

  Cole said nothing. He just knelt next to the man lying on the floor and watched the torment in his face. Tariq’s breathing was fast and erratic, and he had his eyes screwed up tightly trying to blot out the pain. Cole took hold of the blue handle and moved it slowly backwards and forwards a few times. Tariq screamed again and his eyelids opened wide. Then with a sudden movement, Cole pulled the blade out. The blood started flowing quicker now, and it was making a small stain on the light brown carpet.

  ‘Well I’m glad Angel died quickly. It only seems fair to give you the same treatment.’

  Cole picked up Tariq and held him under one arm. He wasn’t a big man, but he was strong for his size. He walked over to one of the apartment windows and pulled the catch at the side to open it. He pushed it wide and the cold night air rushed in to the room. Tariq tried to free himself from Cole’s grip, but he was still in shock from the wound to his rear end, and so in his weakened state it was not difficult for Cole to keep hold of him. Cole leaned out of the window and held the Arab in mid air for a few seconds. Tariq tried to grab hold of the window frame but he was too slow – Cole let go and dropped Tariq into the dark void. There was a long uninterrupted scream as he fell and then silence.

  Cole pulled the window shut and looked over at Hedge. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

  Hedge nodded. It seemed like a good idea. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he had just seen someone thrown out of a twelfth storey window. Or was it all a dream? He looked at the blade that Cole had dropped on the floor. It was covered in blood and there was a bright crimson stain on the carpet. He pinched himself hard. It hurt. It wasn’t a dream!

  Chapter Fifty Six

  The next morning they collected the bearer bonds as arranged from the embassy and took them in the metal case to the bank that was listed as the originator on the documents. This part of the operation had the potential to be very complicated as they had in their possession some sixteen million dollars worth of financial assets.

  As it happened, the visit turned out to be very straightforward. They were taken in to see one of the branch supervisors, who took the bearer bonds away for inspection. On his return, he simply informed them that all was in order and asked them where they wanted the money deposited. Cole gave him the name and number of an account held at the Bank of England in Threadneedle Street, London. The supervisor informed them that the money would be
transferred to that account within the next three working days. There was no other business to attend to, so they thanked him for his assistance and left the building.

  ‘Who is the owner of the account where they have transferred the money to,’ said Hedge.

  He wasn’t sure if he was really that interested in the answer. In fact, he was looking forward to this whole adventure concluding as soon as possible. He was keen to catch up with his new found sister, who was arriving in New York the following day.

  ‘It’s a government agency account. I have told them to expect some funds in the next few days. I am sure the men who have been blackmailed will be pleased to get their money back,’ said Cole.

  ‘And I’ll be pleased to get back to London.’

  The following day Hedge met Maddie at the airport. She looked radiant when he saw her. She was wearing blue jeans again, obviously a Texas tradition, he thought. She looked good in them though. It was clear to him that she must have had an outdoor lifestyle as she looked tanned and fit. Her hair hung loose, and the wind was blowing it all over the place. It suited her though and he thought it made her look wild and alive. They hugged for a moment, much less awkwardly than when they had done so a few days earlier, and then they hopped in a taxi and headed downtown.

  ‘Let’s get something to eat and we can catch up on things,’ he suggested.

  ‘That sounds great. I have some big news to tell you when we get there.’

  They found a small delicatessen not far from Central Park, and ordered some drinks and sandwiches. Hedge was in such a good mood, he didn’t even complain when the waitress returned with iced tea, instead of his hot English version.

  ‘Well, what kind of tea do you expect, this is America!’ said Maddie with a big grin on her face.

  ‘What’s your big news then,’ said Hedge.

  He picked up a paper serviette and wiped the surface of the table. It was already clean, so there was no noticeable improvement. He felt more relaxed though. He glanced across at Maddie as she replied.

  ‘I’m coming back to London with you. I have told my uncle that I’m having an extended holiday, and that I am off to visit England. I hope that’s ok?’

  ‘That’s more than ok, it’s fantastic. You can stay with me. We can get to know each other a bit better. We have a lot of catching up to do.’

  They chatted for the rest of the afternoon. Maddie told him about her life in Houston. The family she had grown up with were great, even if they were very private people. She had done well in school, and enjoyed playing sports, but her real passion was horses. She had learned to ride from an early age, and spent most of her free time out riding. It was strange, she said, not knowing her mum and dad, and that saddened her. She was a bit confused initially about finding out that she had a big brother, but had now got used to the idea. She told him that she hadn’t exactly told the truth to her aunt and uncle, telling them she was going to London to stay with a cousin. They had been a bit worried at first, but they realised she was all grown up now and so could not restrict her requests any more.

  Hedge listened intently as she talked. Then he told her about how he had grown up with the family in London and how he had spent several years at a boarding school. He left out the part about all the bullying. They chatted together easily, like a couple of old friends.

  Finally he said that they should go and find Cole as they needed to arrange the flights back to London.

  ‘Ok, let’s go,’ said Maddie.

  They left the deli and started walking in the direction of the hotel.

  After a few minutes, Maddie stopped on the pavement and lifted her head to the sky. Hedge turned and told her to get a move on, but she just stood still for a few seconds. He looked at her briefly and thought she had a faraway look in her eyes, like she was concentrating on something. He told her again to hurry up. She blinked, turned her head towards him and nodded. Then she carried on walking as if nothing had happened.

  ‘Hedge, can we go back to England by ship. I have never been on the sea. It would be fun,’ she said. ‘We would have some time together as well.’

  ‘I don’t know about that. Cole wants to get back pretty quick I think.’

  ‘Let’s see if we can persuade him,’ she said.

  As it happened, Cole thought it was an excellent idea. He and Maddie went straight to the hotel reception to arrange the tickets for the three of them. There was a fast cruise ship leaving the next day, and they managed to get bookings on it.

  As they were walking away from the front desk, an elderly man with white, wispy hair was talking to a receptionist. Maddie had accidentally overheard his conversation. He was taking his granddaughter to England to visit relatives.

  ‘Can you arrange a flight for us, maybe tomorrow?’ he was asking.

  Maddie turned around, and touched the old man on the arm. ‘We were going to fly back to England tomorrow, but did you know that there is a ship that leaves around the same time? It would be a great experience for your granddaughter.’

  The man turned to face her. His expression flashed a harsh look of ‘you should mind your own business.’ But then suddenly he stared at her more intently, and his face softened. Maddie was still gently holding his arm. Her voice was low, almost a whisper.

  ‘Take the ship, it will be fun.’

  The man’s face was slightly wrinkled with age. He continued to stare at Maddie for a few moments. Then he smiled, and turned back to the receptionist.

  ‘Is there any chance that you can get two more tickets on that ship?’

  The next morning Hedge, Maddie and Cole arranged to meet for their final breakfast in New York. The three of them chatted as they ate pancakes with maple syrup, and drank freshly squeezed apple juice. Maddie told them how she was looking forward to seeing London. Cole was going to enjoy the cruise.

  ‘I may get drunk a few times during the voyage,’ he said.’

  They all laughed.

  There was a large flat screen television on the wall near their table and the newsreader was busy listing the main stories of the day.

  ‘The president was hosting a Chinese trade delegation at the White House. Pressure groups were hoping that human rights would also be on the agenda. The Dow Jones index had hit an eighteen month low as poor trade data was affecting business confidence. The US central bank was due to comment on this later in the day. A British Airways Airbus bound for London had its take off aborted when a fire broke out in one of its engines. A major disaster had been narrowly avoided due mainly to the skill of the pilot, but nevertheless five passengers had been fatally injured in the crash. Now for the weather ….’

  The three of them were still deep in conversation, and so they weren’t paying much attention to these headlines, apart from Maddie. She just happened to catch the last item being read out by the news reader. She looked up at the television for a split second, nodded her head slowly to herself, and then returned to the discussion with the other two.

  Chapter Fifty Seven

  At eight o’clock they hailed a taxi and made the twenty minute journey down to the port. They quickly cleared through customs, and boarded the liner.

  The boat left New York harbour at exactly ten o'clock that morning. Its heading was due east, directly into the bright morning sun.

  Hedge took his bag down to his cabin and then he came out onto the viewing deck to experience the departure. The skyline of the city started to fade into the distance as the boat cleared the last piece of headland that made up the iconic port.

  There were many other passengers lining the railings on this side of the ship, all staring back at the city. As he stood and watched, a hand gently grabbed hold of his arm. He looked round to see the smiling face of his newly discovered sister.

  'Everything ok Maddie? Did you find your cabin?’

  'Yes, all is well. The cabin is lovely. Very posh,' she replied.

  She held onto his arm as they stood side by side, looking back at the towering buildings
as they faded from sight. He had mixed feelings about leaving New York. It was likely to be the end of the adventure. It was an experience he hadn’t asked to be involved in, and it had caused him a lot of anxiety. A few weeks ago he was a normal person, going about his own business. It had been a turbulent year for him. He had been prosecuted for a simple mistake and served time in prison as a result of that. That was after he had been a local hero for a while following the incident in the cafe. It all seemed a bit surreal. Then there was this mission. Getting caught up with Cole and Fuller was something of a shock to him. Fuller’s death had been tragic, as had Angels. He didn’t know them very well, but he still grieved for them, and for their families. Finally, he had discovered a sister he didn’t realise he even had.

  Yes, a very strange year, he thought.

  The wind was blowing a little stronger now, and the temperature seemed to have dropped a few degrees. Several of the watching people started to walk off, maybe to get a late breakfast, or to go and unpack their belongings. A large gathering remained though, still looking back towards the city.

  Hedge ran his eyes down the side of the boat, taking in the various passengers who lined the railings. Immediately in front of him were an elderly couple. They had been waving frantically at someone in the crowd on the dockside as the boat had pulled away. Perhaps they had been visiting a son or daughter in New York, he thought.

  Next to the elderly couple were a group of young women, all chatting together excitedly. They seemed to have American accents, so he assumed they were heading to England for a holiday maybe. Beyond this group was a young couple, standing close together arm in arm as they looked out over the calm seas. What looked like a proud grandfather and his granddaughter were next in line, huddled close together to keep out the chilly wind.

  The old man turned and smiled when he saw Hedge looking in his direction. Then his face took on a more serious slant. He had spotted Maddie. He took hold of his granddaughter’s hand and started walking towards them.